Tag Archives: nature

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – How Much Effort?

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Read: Philippians 3:4-8, 12-14

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (v. 12 NIV)

How much effort are you willing to make in order to know Christ better? In verses 4-6 Paul lists all the things he once treasured, all the things he once trusted to make his life good and pleasing to God. Now he says, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.” He doesn’t mean all those things are bad. He means that on a scale of priorities, knowing Christ is more important than anything. Think of all you treasure. How much do you want to know Christ?

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; G.C.- Value Proposition

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“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.” The famous quip by Roy Disney highlights the connection between beliefs and behavior. But what if the values are based on faulty thinking? For example, ancient Egyptian physicians regularly dripped bat blood into the eyes of those suffering from eye disease. Accepted wisdom of the time observed bats navigate well at night; therefore, absorbing the blood of bats would likely result in great eyesight. If you lived in Egypt then, would you have had the courage to buck that wisdom? Probably not – unless you had the understanding to believe something else.

Be attentive to my wisdom.

Proverbs 5:1

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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The One, True God

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“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other.” —Deuteronomy 4:39

We don’t see a lot of idol worship in our culture—at least outwardly. But I think that in some ways, maybe there is.

People have their gods, although they don’t call them gods. Their gods are what they trust in. Maybe it’s a person. Maybe it’s a bank account. Maybe it’s a career. Maybe it’s their appearance. Maybe it’s something else.

Then one day something happens, and they lose that money in the bank account. Something happens, and they lose that position. Something happens, and they no longer look like they once did. It’s a wakeup call, and they realize that whatever their god was, it was never a good thing to build their lives on.

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Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God Can Make You Happy

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“Although the fig tree shall not blossom,…yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

A young missionary in China named Hudson Taylor was writing a letter home to his sister Amelia. What happy news could he share? Many of the Chinese people were dying from famine. He had very little money. The other missionaries did not like the way he dressed as the Chinese did. And the girl he loved and wanted to marry had just told him that she would not marry him. Hudson had every reason to be sad. His eyes moved to the Bible beside him on his desk. What had he read that very day about God’s love? He picked up his pen and wrote, “The love of God never changes. Can we ever love Jesus as much as He loves us?”

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Iniquity of Holy Things

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Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:11

“God, I thank you that I am not like other men . . . or even like this tax collector.”

With whom do we identify, the Pharisee or the tax collector? The prodigal son or the older brother? Obviously no one wants to identify with the Pharisee or the older brother. But are we willing to identify with the tax collector and the prodigal son, as sinners deeply in need of the grace and mercy of God? Are we willing to say, “God, be merciful to me the sinner” or “I am no longer worthy to be called your son”? Are we willing to acknowledge that even our righteous acts are no more than filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6)?

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Our Ever-Present Help

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Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 5-7

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

As Nehemiah struggled to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, one of his greatest enemies was fear. First, he had to fight it among the people. In Nehemiah 4:10, we find the warlike tribe of Judah about ready to throw in the towel, saying, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

They also feared an enemy attack while they worked. So Nehemiah prayed, posted a guard, and encouraged the people to remember God’s faithfulness. But after helping the people with their fear, the next attack came against Nehemiah himself.

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint – God’s Promise to All Peoples: Celebrating the Epiphany

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Every year, PNC Wealth Management calculates the cost of the gifts mentioned in the song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” From a bill of $12,623 in 1984—the first year of the survey—Christmas has gotten increasingly costly, totaling more than $34,000 this year. If you were to pay for each gift every time it’s mentioned in the song, you’d be more than $155,000 poorer. Who knew that labor costs for “10 Lords a-Leaping” would be so high? Not included in their estimate, apparently, is the price of therapy to help you get the song out of your head.

Even without “The 12 Days of Christmas” ringing in their ears many people are ready to be done with Christmas by the day after. But to end Christmas too soon neglects one of the most important elements of the Christmas story.

In some churches, the Christmas season on the church calendar begins on Christmas Day and runs for twelve days, ending on January 5th. January 6—tomorrow—brings both the final story of Christmas and launches a new liturgical season, Epiphany.

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Today in the Word

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – Noah: Shame Exposed

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Read Genesis 9:18-29

For in the image of God has God made mankind. Genesis 9:6

Many people have experienced a nightmare in which they find themselves in public half-dressed or even naked. They feel mortified over being so exposed and spend the rest of the dream desperately trying to cover themselves and escape the situation, hoping no one else has noticed.

Noah woke from his sleep to discover that the nightmare had really happened. He had always been conscious of living an upright life before God and men, and God had honored him accordingly (see Gen. 6:8–9). But Noah was human, and he fell prey to the temptation to misuse the fruit of the earth for which he had toiled and with which God had blessed him. In a moment of weakness, he consumed too much wine and fell into a drunken sleep, oblivious to the fact that his nakedness was shamefully exposed.

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Our Source of Hope

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Titus 2:11-14

People have different opinions about who goes to heaven. Some believe ethical behavior and moral character bring automatic acceptance from God. Others, while acknowledging they have bad habits and behaviors, claim a self-improvement plan gains them admission. Still others assume they’ll be disqualified from heaven because of deep hurts they caused.

None of this lines up with the truth of the Bible. Scripture tells us that character and deeds do not determine our eternal state (Eph. 2:8-9). Rather, the barrier between us and a holy God is our sinful nature. Romans 5:12 teaches that Adam and Eve’s sin caused all mankind to begin physical life dead to spiritual things and under a sentence of judgment. No amount of good works or moral behavior can change our unholy nature. Nor do bad choices make our nature worse.

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Is He Listening?

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Read: Matthew 26:39-42; 27:45-46

Bible in a Year: Genesis 10-12; Matthew 4

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? —Matthew 27:46

“Sometimes it feels as if God isn’t listening to me.” Those words, from a woman who tried to stay strong in her walk with God while coping with an alcoholic husband, echo the heartcry of many believers. For many years, she asked God to change her husband. Yet it never happened.

What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – On Happiness

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Is happiness really attainable? It is a question many have sought to answer—debated in philosophy halls, whispered about at slumber parties, promised in innumerable marketing campaigns, and particularly pondered at the turn of a new year. Our countless approaches to pursuing happiness are as diverse as our many definitions of the word. But what if the attainability of happiness is intimately connected to our answer to another question? Namely, what is the source of your greatest enjoyment in life? In other words, could there be a connection between the imagination with which you see the world and your capacity to experience happiness?

In a significant study, Armand Nicholi, professor of clinical psychiatry at Harvard University, compared the life and work of Sigmund Freud to that of C.S. Lewis.(1) Each cultural giant was recognized for the remarkable accuracy with which he observed human emotion and experience. And yet, each man defined and experienced happiness in strikingly different manners, through radically different imaginations.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Guarding Against Sin

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“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Knowing and obeying God’s Word helps us walk worthy by protecting us from sin.

While we are discussing the importance of knowing right doctrine before right duty, let’s see one way knowing the Bible helps us to walk worthy: it protects us from sin. From time to time you might hear people who have a fatalistic attitude toward sin saying, “I couldn’t help myself” or “The Devil made me do it.” Such excuses are foolish for Christians to make since God has given us the means to resist temptation.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters, Boyd Bailey – Proximity Creates Opportunity 

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When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27

Rita and I sometimes struggle with how and what to teach our four daughters and now their husbands. We instructed our children and teenagers to surround themselves with those they wanted to become like. We encouraged them to spend time with good students, athletes, teachers and coaches who modeled humility, hard work and a strong faith in Jesus. The closer relationships our children built with their classmates and authorities, the more opportunities they experienced to serve others and to grow their own interests. Our adult children still need wisdom, encouragement and grace to best determine God’s will for their lives. Close proximity to Christ and His followers creates the best opportunities.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – 100% Prepared

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I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

Recommended Reading

Romans 12

As parents we cannot foresee all the circumstances our children will face. If we could, we would be tempted to focus in and prepare them only for those specific situations. Since we cannot see the future, our best investment is helping develop the person our child is becoming. For example, if a child develops into a person who is compassionate and courageous, they will bring these characteristics into every circumstance they encounter.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – By Your Fruit

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Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.—Matthew 7:17

The fruit in our lives (our behavior) comes from somewhere. A person who is angry is that way for a reason. His reaction is the bad fruit of a bad tree with bad roots. It is important for us to take a close and honest look at our fruit as well as our roots.

In my own life, there was a lot of bad fruit. I experienced regular bouts of depression, negativity, self-pity, a quick temper, and the chip-on-the-shoulder syndrome. I was harsh, rigid, legalistic, and judgmental. I held grudges and was fearful.

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Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – How to Revamp Your Quiet Time

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Today’s Truth

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Psalm 119:97

Friend to Friend

I love, absolutely love, studying God’s Word. From the time I first said “yes” to Jesus, I have devoured the Scriptures. And yet, I’ll admit, extended times of prayer have been a struggle for me. Perhaps that is one reason it is called a discipline. I have to discipline myself to set the time apart—to “be still and know.”

But then I began to realize just how compartmentalized my time with God had become. My spiritual life was more like an outlined lesson plan with sub-headings A, B, C and 1, 2, 3 than a love relationship with Jesus. So I made a change. It was God’s suggestion really. Why not pray and read at the same time?

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Anything at All

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“Yes, ask anything, using my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:14).

“What is the most important thought your mind has ever entertained?” someone once asked Daniel Webster, one of the greatest intellects in American history.

“My accountability to God,” he replied.

In John 14:14 we find a marvelous promise, one that surely gives ample reason for our accountability to God!

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Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Spirit’s Witness

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Read: John 1:19-34

Then John gave this testimony: I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. (John 1:32-33)

If you read through the Old Testament you find in it a deep sense of unsatisfied longings. From the very beginning of the Bible people are longing after righteousness and holiness; longing to be better than they are; longing to be free from the struggle with evil within; wishing somehow they could get hold of the evil, self-centered tendency within themselves, and eliminate it.

Have you ever felt that way? There have been times when I wished I could have had a surgical operation to remove my tendency to be sharp, critical, harsh and caustic; when I saw the hurt I caused I wished somehow to be able to stop doing those kinds of things.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Do You Really?

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Read: Matthew 7:21-27

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man. (v. 24 NIV)

At the beginning of our reflections on “knowing Christ,” I must ask myself and you a hard question. Do you really want to know Christ, enough to do something about it?

Some time ago, I found an interesting and troubling story attributed to the Danish philosopher S°ren Kierkegaard. It’s about a make-believe land in which only ducks lived and it went something like this. On Sunday morning, all the ducks got up, brushed their feathers, and waddled off to church. After waddling down the aisle, they sat down in their pews.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Little Things

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What has God put on your heart for this New Year? Consider that five basic responsibilities of a Christian are to seek God, to pray, to serve, to give, and to be thankful.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Proverbs 4:27

Seek God: “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8). Intercede: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (I Timothy 2:1). Serve: “Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Give: “Give, and it will be given to you…For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Be thankful: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

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